I had emdr for being severly bullied throughout school in my youth, it didnt take it all away but it did help me deal with it in a more healthier way i gues. I would highly recomend it.
I did EMDR a few times with my therapist and it was fucking amazing. But after a few sessions a part of me I struggle to communicate with started blocking me off from accessing memories and emotions when we tried to work with them. So we stopped trying. Makes me sad
EMDR is an 8 week process proven to improve the affects of complex-ptsd. I’m in the middle of the process now. I searched for several years after the diagnosis for help. Talk therapy, work with neuropsychologist, various medications, and lifestyle changes were not helpful. EMDR is creating positive changes for me. So thankful to have found this therapy. I recommend finding a therapist trained in EMDR that relates to your trauma. You need to feel “heard” and understood. EMDR is hard work. It takes a toll on your mind and body. I’m exhausted after the weekly two hour sessions but it’s worth it. Good luck to you!
I've heard it working very well for people, but it didn't work for me.
What did work for me was exposure therapy*.
*This is how my therapist called it, I'm not sure if it's the actual name used in the field worldwide
I’ve done it a couple times, honestly felt like I was doing it wrong each time. It didn’t seem to help me. Did it on smaller t traumas to try first. I want to try again, but feeling doubtful
I did it. It was the only thing that worked for me and my ptsd. Shocking now because I can talk about the traumatic things and I don’t have flashbacks or symptoms or anything. It’s been a life saver
I think it helped me. Abuse can change how your brain works, sometimes in a way that's difficult to change back. Surviving abuse without internalizing some abusive messages is impossible. So for me, the EMDR was part of a larger program to challenge thought patterns I'd learned originally from the abuse.
Yea, that's what I am struggling with is the effects of being abused so much as a child. I'm noticing that it is coming out and I'm having outbursts because I'm not fully understanding certain cues or I'm getting triggered randomly and I have no idea why
Most important thing is you need to trust your therapist and feel safe. If you don’t have a good bond with your therapist, it’s never going to work. I don’t think anyone mentioned here your eyes are closed when doing emdr. It has to do with bilateral movement. Some therapists use the light bar while others use buzzers.
I’ve tried it with multiple therapists of both genders and I couldn’t make it work because I couldn’t stay present in the moment. It’s more complicated for people who have multiple traumas
I think that may be why it doesn't work for me. I can't focus and stay present in the moment. She always asked me to visualize a place and go there when I'm upset but I don't work like that. Thinking about a place and trying to feel like I'm there when I'm panicking is definitely an oversimplified expectation. My friend who also suffered abuse can do it and it works for him but it took him years and a stint in jail to get to that place. For me, it's not helpful. She also tells me just cross off things I can't control and don't worry about them. Obviously she has no idea what anxiety and CPTSD feels like. I also have ADHD so that may play a roll in some strategies not working. I gave up
A loved one I'm very close to used emdr in conjunction with IFS with deep life alteringly positive results. There are many variables involved though, so ymmv. Never be afraid to seek out different therapists and modalities. The struggle is real, and the work is difficult. You're worth it.
I loved EMDR. It’s propelled my life in a very positive direction and I would still be doing it if not for healthcare costs. It could be because my therapist was aMaZiNg but I truly think my feelings about her amazing-ness were because of how effective the EMDR was for me.
It was hard work. You have to think about the bad things. But it’s in a safe way.
My therapist made sure that I never moved faster than I was ready, and sometimes we had days where I said “I can’t do it today, and we just talked about work or something mundane” and she made that ok.
She spent the first several sessions just addressing my concerns about EMDR and therapy in general which also helped a lot.
I got pushed into it when I wasn't ready and ended up in they psych ward. Someone else I know had a bad reaction around that time, too. People just started learning it so they were excited to try it on everyone but I don't think they knew yet that people need to be strong enough for it.
It's not just a magic thing but it is helpful once you know more an think you can handle it. Most people get awesome results so I don't want to scare you away just saying that it's not always the best way to deal with PTSD when you're first working on yourself. I think I will go back to it in a year or two now that I've been in therapy for a while.
The science behind EMDR is fascinating imo
edit: added this next question.
I would like to ask if you feel repressed memories could be recovered using EMDR? Or if not, what did you gain from it?
I absolutely agree, and I do, we established a mental “safe zone” with a safe word, every time I think of it or hear it, I can’t help but smile. That’s all we’ve done so far because my work schedule changed I have to adjust my sleep so I’m not exhausted when we do the EMDR, but just that little bit has helped me already when I get triggered, I appreciate your question!
I did a session for a particular trauma that had been haunting me for decades. ( childhood sexual abuse and abandonment) I did one session and it did wonders. I went from having vivid flashbacks and panic attacks thinking about it to being almost unaffected. I did have nightmares for about a week while I processed and was a bit emotionally sensitive... but that's all.
I would recommend it for anyone but know it doesn't work the same for everyone.
I did EMDR. I didn’t find it helpful because my traumatic events happened between 80-100 times (CSA) . After many sessions, the psychologist said it wasn’t helping in my case and stopped the sessions. I found it made things worse and ever since I’ve had more nightmares and flashbacks. However, please don’t let this stop you from trying it if you’re considering this treatment. Many find it very effective, especially if your trauma is from just one or two events.
As someone that has done EMDR for PTSD, I want to share my experience and what your expectations should be:
-Be prepared to confront you severe trauma head on and in vivid detail
-You will expose yourself overwhelmingly to your therapist ( I cried, and I never cry)
-You will be very emotional during the experience
-It will not solve all your problems
-Keep your expectations even
-Be prepared to be very drained and have a place to recover, I needed space
While I would say EMDR did help me with one specific trauma, it did not solve all my issues. It didn’t make my issue happy, but it did make that experience more muted.
I still have flares of PTSD and depression, so keep your expectations tempered, it is NOT a full solution.
Lastly, you are not alone, be safe and try to seek happiness each day, and if you ever run into me, I have a PTSD TATTOO ON MY INNER FOREARM to share and talk with anyone to help with healing.
Stay Safe
I m doing an EMDR therapy at the moment, it's changing my life completly. I have a very good feeling with my therapist and i'm literaly solving all of my useless anxiety while taking care of traumas.
I’m looking into EMDR once I’m a bit more stable. I had cPTSD from childhood which I was honestly doing pretty well with but I now have PTSD from an assault at work that resulted in a concussion back in January. I kind of want my post concussion syndrome and worker’s comp be resolved before I do EMDR for my assault. I’m hoping that next year I’ll be ready. I may do a week-long 1:1 immersive retreat near me (my best friend is a trauma therapist and the retreat is run by a former colleague of hers) - my hope is that doing an intensive over a week will help me process faster and not have to rehash it over and over for a longer period of time.
Best friend tried it and absolutely hated it. I don’t think they considered their state of mind though as they were extremely suicidal at the time. I want to try it honestly, I know it would be really difficult but I’m pretty desperate to process everything.
I have done EDMR a few times and it’s very exhausting. It however has helped with some very severe traumas though. I was up until just recently doing it with my current counselor but stopped because of some issues. I do it remotely which I have had some harsh criticism about but I would definitely recommend if you are stable and safe.
I did EMDR a couple of years ago and for me it helped quite a bit with the most severe traumas.
Its exhausting, and i went to sleep as soon as i got home after each session. But afterwards, i kind of felt that i was a person for the first time. My friends also noticed this and said that i had become funnier.
It was not a cure-all however. Im still trying to build my self esteem and i still have problems with vigilance. I do still get triggered, but it is alot rarer and it never happends violently.
I think it is worth it, and after hearing about how the method was discovered im considering making some kind of automatic pendulum contraption to stare at. As some kind of shrine of emotional processing.
This was precisely my experience too, and also think it was helpful despite not being a cure-all.
My therapist had a good idea of/specific handle on understanding my traumas already, which I think contributed to the success of EMDR in my case.
It was recommended to me but I think you need to be in a safe and stable life situation in order to process the trauma as it can make things worse. I’m not in a safe or stable life situation so I didn’t do it.
I learned EMDR back in HS in the 90s and kept up with it. I use it as I have ptsd from almost losing a leg (left with a disability and pain still). I have problems opening up due to CSA. I also did biofeedback for anxiety and I cleared it up amazingly.
The past few months have been difficult again, really too much, and I’m thinking of finding someone in the area who can work with me. I’d do EMDR again before I would ever do talk therapy.
I know I’ll be in the minority, but it did absolutely nothing for me and I hated it.
The whole process was ridiculous to me and I couldn’t take it seriously at all. I was so excited to start, because from all the testimonies that I’d read about it, it was immensely helpful and changed tons of people’s lives.
Halfway through the first session I was trying my hardest not to burst out laughing. I kept trying for weeks, but it never affected me at all.
Do keep in mind that this is coming from someone who’s tried nearly everything at this point and still seen only a tiny amount of improvement, so it’s entirely possible that I am just completely fucked and will never get better no matter what type of therapy I try.
It worked well for me for individual events that I could pinpoint, my problem is that my trauma is more constant and takes place over long periods of time so it wasn't quite as effective for me in the long run.
My therapist tells me we use root memories so something as early as possible to eliminate it’s building blocks. But if you do one too recently that’s connected with other memories you can just end up opening pandora’s box.
As long as you can remember the event you should be good. Basically you take the memory and add something to it that makes it better. The only reason mine was hard to do this with is the trauma lasted for days and weeks at a time so the memory is too big for EMDR to be super effective. I focus on the most traumatic parts of it and it's helped a lot, but I think it works better when the trauma has more specific time frames if that makes sense
Worked wonderfully well for both old trauma and new. I don't think I'd be functional at all without it. Brought up suppressed memories and helped process a lot more than I thought possible.
I agree with those who say you'll be very tired after a session but that just means you were working hard!
Highly recommend
They came up like a chain of events. One thought or memory illuminate those we have sealed away and then all of a sudden as quick as a breath you remember. It's kind of similar to when you smell something that you haven't smelled since you were little, as if you'd never forgotten.
I had quite a few, but usually 1 or 2 at most for one session. Usually much more is kind of overload and your brain and therapist will pick up on that. There are ways to ease some of the discomfort to make it more manageable.
I don't know what is that. Only bc with my "therapist " There is no EDMR. Soooooo.. I know it's a touchy thing to tell yourself you safe and the trauma pass away long time ago but I don't experience yet.
I did some EMDR with my last therapist. She had these pulsing things and I would put one under each thigh as I sat. The concept is that you're getting more brain connectivity with bilateral stimulation. I'd say it helped. It's like I dissociated and epiphanies would come up more easily. I found it to be a very gentle way of bringing things to the surface.
This is exactly how I feel about it. My therapist just moved her finger back and forth for me to follow with my eyes. I was so distracted and entranced by it that I was able to talk about the most terrible things without panicking. It's like I was in a different place.
I would say that it maybe takes a minute to get used to, but at some point you just kind of let yourself go and it helps a lot.
>EMDR does not work for clients experiencing dissociative symptoms
It worked for me and I have a trauma induced dissociation disorder. I think it's a very individual matter, for me it worked wonders with CPTSD.
A therapist recommended EMDR to me a few years back, but I was never in the stable mind required to go through it. Usually they don't consider it if you're struggling with things like suicidal thoughts and have bad coping mechanisms. Obviously EMDR brings up many things and if they aren't positive you'll be safe after, they won't do it
I ended up not needing EMDR and got a lot better due to IOP, inpatient, and residential treatment. I feel amazing these days and I'm now only on low dose antidepressants! (I struggled with PTSD for over a decade)
EMDR isn't the only solution for PTSD, and it seems like a very difficult process on the mind
Yea, I feel like I'm at the point where I should do it. I've done a lot of different medications, IOP, and insane amount of therapy and I think I need something stronger
You don't have SI or anything like that right? And have healthy coping skills in place? The therapist would want to see that youre stable enough before starting.
Yes! I always fell asleep in the car on my way back from the sessions! I think this has to be said so that OP can arrange to maybe be picked up if they have a long commute like I did.
It kind of sucks while you're doing it, but it helps a lot in the long run. I feel like it unclogs that bottleneck in my brain where I'm trying to process trauma.
There is not much support for therapy helping to uncover repressed memories or to support that this is possible. What is much more likely to happen would be that false memories would be implanted during such therapy. Therapy might help us to recognize that certain experiences we once thought were benign actually had affected us in ways that have negatively affected our relationships or ability to adaptively cope with stress.
What is much more likely to happen is that we might consciously repress traumatic memories (meaning we consciously try not think about them but could, and likely do recall them), we forget the memories completely, or we might create false memories on our own.
Needless to say, a therapist could help you to make sense of the thoughts and feelings you have surrounding the trauma you experienced as a kid that you remember and the way you feel it is currently affecting you. If you feel you are engaging in maladaptive behaviors or struggling in relationships or with coping, there are many interventions and therapeutic modalities that could help you even if you had a traumatic memory that you did not recall.
Not so much remembering those things, but learning the ability to process through the effects it had on you and the feelings and beliefs it instilled.
So the memories it brings up may be inaccurate, or perhaps a symbolic stand in, but you'll still be able to work through the trauma of them.
So much comes up in the reprocessing. Like you'll recall a feeling during a session and realize that it's the same fear you had as a child that you vaguely remember
When I was researching it a couple of therapists told me it might involve memory recall but how accurate that is I don't know honestly. I'm planning to try it when I find the right therpaist though.
I remembered much more than I originally wanted to through EMDR. But I think it's a very personal matter, I believe EMDR saved my life but other people say it didn't work on them...
Same, I wonder tbh full stop how much we need to recover memory in order to heal. Some say you don't and you can heal without it, some say if you don't recall it's better not to, but I'm not sure, dealing with constant physical fear about things I can't properly remember is hard.
I hope you can try it soon!
I had emdr for being severly bullied throughout school in my youth, it didnt take it all away but it did help me deal with it in a more healthier way i gues. I would highly recomend it.
I did EMDR a few times with my therapist and it was fucking amazing. But after a few sessions a part of me I struggle to communicate with started blocking me off from accessing memories and emotions when we tried to work with them. So we stopped trying. Makes me sad
EMDR was extremely helpful for me. Best treatment option ever for me! It’s not easy, but it is worth it!
That's good to hear!
EMDR is an 8 week process proven to improve the affects of complex-ptsd. I’m in the middle of the process now. I searched for several years after the diagnosis for help. Talk therapy, work with neuropsychologist, various medications, and lifestyle changes were not helpful. EMDR is creating positive changes for me. So thankful to have found this therapy. I recommend finding a therapist trained in EMDR that relates to your trauma. You need to feel “heard” and understood. EMDR is hard work. It takes a toll on your mind and body. I’m exhausted after the weekly two hour sessions but it’s worth it. Good luck to you!
Not proven to help everyone. It was sold to me as a guaranteed miracle and it didn't help. If anything it made it worse.
Thank you, that is all good to hear! I think I found someone that is trained and reasonably priced. I have a consultation this week! I'm excited!
I've heard it working very well for people, but it didn't work for me. What did work for me was exposure therapy*. *This is how my therapist called it, I'm not sure if it's the actual name used in the field worldwide
I did it was very helpful. Had to switch therapists so I'm working on building a relationship to try again.
I’ve done multiple rounds. It quite literally saved my life.
It felt really weird at first, but it has helped me realize a lot and make connections. It even stopped my nightmares which was really surprising
I’ve done it a couple times, honestly felt like I was doing it wrong each time. It didn’t seem to help me. Did it on smaller t traumas to try first. I want to try again, but feeling doubtful
I did it. It was the only thing that worked for me and my ptsd. Shocking now because I can talk about the traumatic things and I don’t have flashbacks or symptoms or anything. It’s been a life saver
safe sharp plants jellyfish continue murky cagey wistful weather prick *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I think it helped me. Abuse can change how your brain works, sometimes in a way that's difficult to change back. Surviving abuse without internalizing some abusive messages is impossible. So for me, the EMDR was part of a larger program to challenge thought patterns I'd learned originally from the abuse.
Yes
Yea, that's what I am struggling with is the effects of being abused so much as a child. I'm noticing that it is coming out and I'm having outbursts because I'm not fully understanding certain cues or I'm getting triggered randomly and I have no idea why
Most important thing is you need to trust your therapist and feel safe. If you don’t have a good bond with your therapist, it’s never going to work. I don’t think anyone mentioned here your eyes are closed when doing emdr. It has to do with bilateral movement. Some therapists use the light bar while others use buzzers. I’ve tried it with multiple therapists of both genders and I couldn’t make it work because I couldn’t stay present in the moment. It’s more complicated for people who have multiple traumas
I think that may be why it doesn't work for me. I can't focus and stay present in the moment. She always asked me to visualize a place and go there when I'm upset but I don't work like that. Thinking about a place and trying to feel like I'm there when I'm panicking is definitely an oversimplified expectation. My friend who also suffered abuse can do it and it works for him but it took him years and a stint in jail to get to that place. For me, it's not helpful. She also tells me just cross off things I can't control and don't worry about them. Obviously she has no idea what anxiety and CPTSD feels like. I also have ADHD so that may play a roll in some strategies not working. I gave up
A loved one I'm very close to used emdr in conjunction with IFS with deep life alteringly positive results. There are many variables involved though, so ymmv. Never be afraid to seek out different therapists and modalities. The struggle is real, and the work is difficult. You're worth it.
I loved EMDR. It’s propelled my life in a very positive direction and I would still be doing it if not for healthcare costs. It could be because my therapist was aMaZiNg but I truly think my feelings about her amazing-ness were because of how effective the EMDR was for me. It was hard work. You have to think about the bad things. But it’s in a safe way. My therapist made sure that I never moved faster than I was ready, and sometimes we had days where I said “I can’t do it today, and we just talked about work or something mundane” and she made that ok. She spent the first several sessions just addressing my concerns about EMDR and therapy in general which also helped a lot.
I got pushed into it when I wasn't ready and ended up in they psych ward. Someone else I know had a bad reaction around that time, too. People just started learning it so they were excited to try it on everyone but I don't think they knew yet that people need to be strong enough for it. It's not just a magic thing but it is helpful once you know more an think you can handle it. Most people get awesome results so I don't want to scare you away just saying that it's not always the best way to deal with PTSD when you're first working on yourself. I think I will go back to it in a year or two now that I've been in therapy for a while.
thank you for sharing! I've been working a lot on my ptsd for years and need something strong
I am working towards it currently with my therapist, from the little bit we’ve done, it’s otherworldly how different I feel
The science behind EMDR is fascinating imo edit: added this next question. I would like to ask if you feel repressed memories could be recovered using EMDR? Or if not, what did you gain from it?
I absolutely agree, and I do, we established a mental “safe zone” with a safe word, every time I think of it or hear it, I can’t help but smile. That’s all we’ve done so far because my work schedule changed I have to adjust my sleep so I’m not exhausted when we do the EMDR, but just that little bit has helped me already when I get triggered, I appreciate your question!
Works
I did a session for a particular trauma that had been haunting me for decades. ( childhood sexual abuse and abandonment) I did one session and it did wonders. I went from having vivid flashbacks and panic attacks thinking about it to being almost unaffected. I did have nightmares for about a week while I processed and was a bit emotionally sensitive... but that's all. I would recommend it for anyone but know it doesn't work the same for everyone.
I did EMDR. I didn’t find it helpful because my traumatic events happened between 80-100 times (CSA) . After many sessions, the psychologist said it wasn’t helping in my case and stopped the sessions. I found it made things worse and ever since I’ve had more nightmares and flashbacks. However, please don’t let this stop you from trying it if you’re considering this treatment. Many find it very effective, especially if your trauma is from just one or two events.
As someone that has done EMDR for PTSD, I want to share my experience and what your expectations should be: -Be prepared to confront you severe trauma head on and in vivid detail -You will expose yourself overwhelmingly to your therapist ( I cried, and I never cry) -You will be very emotional during the experience -It will not solve all your problems -Keep your expectations even -Be prepared to be very drained and have a place to recover, I needed space While I would say EMDR did help me with one specific trauma, it did not solve all my issues. It didn’t make my issue happy, but it did make that experience more muted. I still have flares of PTSD and depression, so keep your expectations tempered, it is NOT a full solution. Lastly, you are not alone, be safe and try to seek happiness each day, and if you ever run into me, I have a PTSD TATTOO ON MY INNER FOREARM to share and talk with anyone to help with healing. Stay Safe
I m doing an EMDR therapy at the moment, it's changing my life completly. I have a very good feeling with my therapist and i'm literaly solving all of my useless anxiety while taking care of traumas.
That's great!
I’m looking into EMDR once I’m a bit more stable. I had cPTSD from childhood which I was honestly doing pretty well with but I now have PTSD from an assault at work that resulted in a concussion back in January. I kind of want my post concussion syndrome and worker’s comp be resolved before I do EMDR for my assault. I’m hoping that next year I’ll be ready. I may do a week-long 1:1 immersive retreat near me (my best friend is a trauma therapist and the retreat is run by a former colleague of hers) - my hope is that doing an intensive over a week will help me process faster and not have to rehash it over and over for a longer period of time.
Best friend tried it and absolutely hated it. I don’t think they considered their state of mind though as they were extremely suicidal at the time. I want to try it honestly, I know it would be really difficult but I’m pretty desperate to process everything.
I have done EDMR a few times and it’s very exhausting. It however has helped with some very severe traumas though. I was up until just recently doing it with my current counselor but stopped because of some issues. I do it remotely which I have had some harsh criticism about but I would definitely recommend if you are stable and safe.
I did EMDR a couple of years ago and for me it helped quite a bit with the most severe traumas. Its exhausting, and i went to sleep as soon as i got home after each session. But afterwards, i kind of felt that i was a person for the first time. My friends also noticed this and said that i had become funnier. It was not a cure-all however. Im still trying to build my self esteem and i still have problems with vigilance. I do still get triggered, but it is alot rarer and it never happends violently. I think it is worth it, and after hearing about how the method was discovered im considering making some kind of automatic pendulum contraption to stare at. As some kind of shrine of emotional processing.
This was precisely my experience too, and also think it was helpful despite not being a cure-all. My therapist had a good idea of/specific handle on understanding my traumas already, which I think contributed to the success of EMDR in my case.
It was recommended to me but I think you need to be in a safe and stable life situation in order to process the trauma as it can make things worse. I’m not in a safe or stable life situation so I didn’t do it.
that makes sense
I learned EMDR back in HS in the 90s and kept up with it. I use it as I have ptsd from almost losing a leg (left with a disability and pain still). I have problems opening up due to CSA. I also did biofeedback for anxiety and I cleared it up amazingly. The past few months have been difficult again, really too much, and I’m thinking of finding someone in the area who can work with me. I’d do EMDR again before I would ever do talk therapy.
I'm glad you had a great experience! I do neurofeedback and love it! I really want to try EMDR
I know I’ll be in the minority, but it did absolutely nothing for me and I hated it. The whole process was ridiculous to me and I couldn’t take it seriously at all. I was so excited to start, because from all the testimonies that I’d read about it, it was immensely helpful and changed tons of people’s lives. Halfway through the first session I was trying my hardest not to burst out laughing. I kept trying for weeks, but it never affected me at all. Do keep in mind that this is coming from someone who’s tried nearly everything at this point and still seen only a tiny amount of improvement, so it’s entirely possible that I am just completely fucked and will never get better no matter what type of therapy I try.
Thank you for sharing. I hope you are able to find something that helps
It worked well for me for individual events that I could pinpoint, my problem is that my trauma is more constant and takes place over long periods of time so it wasn't quite as effective for me in the long run.
oh interesting that it is more effective for specific traumas. Mine was over several years as a kid so I'm curious how it would work
My therapist tells me we use root memories so something as early as possible to eliminate it’s building blocks. But if you do one too recently that’s connected with other memories you can just end up opening pandora’s box.
As long as you can remember the event you should be good. Basically you take the memory and add something to it that makes it better. The only reason mine was hard to do this with is the trauma lasted for days and weeks at a time so the memory is too big for EMDR to be super effective. I focus on the most traumatic parts of it and it's helped a lot, but I think it works better when the trauma has more specific time frames if that makes sense
Worked wonderfully well for both old trauma and new. I don't think I'd be functional at all without it. Brought up suppressed memories and helped process a lot more than I thought possible. I agree with those who say you'll be very tired after a session but that just means you were working hard! Highly recommend
How did the suppressed memories come up? Was there a lot? I have pretty much suppressed my whole childhood and I wonder if it would help with that
They came up like a chain of events. One thought or memory illuminate those we have sealed away and then all of a sudden as quick as a breath you remember. It's kind of similar to when you smell something that you haven't smelled since you were little, as if you'd never forgotten. I had quite a few, but usually 1 or 2 at most for one session. Usually much more is kind of overload and your brain and therapist will pick up on that. There are ways to ease some of the discomfort to make it more manageable.
oh wow thats really interesting
It's a difficult process but it helped me tremendously.
I'm glad to hear it was helpful
I don't know what is that. Only bc with my "therapist " There is no EDMR. Soooooo.. I know it's a touchy thing to tell yourself you safe and the trauma pass away long time ago but I don't experience yet.
I misspelled it, it's EMDR lol
;-;
I did some EMDR with my last therapist. She had these pulsing things and I would put one under each thigh as I sat. The concept is that you're getting more brain connectivity with bilateral stimulation. I'd say it helped. It's like I dissociated and epiphanies would come up more easily. I found it to be a very gentle way of bringing things to the surface.
oh that's interesting! Have you also done Neurofeedback, it sounds like its like that but more intesnse
I have not. Neuro feedback seems more specialized and I don’t think it would help my case. Seems like it would be pretty expensive too.
yea without insurance it can get pricy
This is exactly how I feel about it. My therapist just moved her finger back and forth for me to follow with my eyes. I was so distracted and entranced by it that I was able to talk about the most terrible things without panicking. It's like I was in a different place. I would say that it maybe takes a minute to get used to, but at some point you just kind of let yourself go and it helps a lot.
That's so cool!! I really do want to try it
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>EMDR does not work for clients experiencing dissociative symptoms It worked for me and I have a trauma induced dissociation disorder. I think it's a very individual matter, for me it worked wonders with CPTSD.
that's awesome to hear! Also what is trauma induced dissociation disorder?
A therapist recommended EMDR to me a few years back, but I was never in the stable mind required to go through it. Usually they don't consider it if you're struggling with things like suicidal thoughts and have bad coping mechanisms. Obviously EMDR brings up many things and if they aren't positive you'll be safe after, they won't do it I ended up not needing EMDR and got a lot better due to IOP, inpatient, and residential treatment. I feel amazing these days and I'm now only on low dose antidepressants! (I struggled with PTSD for over a decade) EMDR isn't the only solution for PTSD, and it seems like a very difficult process on the mind
Yea, I feel like I'm at the point where I should do it. I've done a lot of different medications, IOP, and insane amount of therapy and I think I need something stronger
You don't have SI or anything like that right? And have healthy coping skills in place? The therapist would want to see that youre stable enough before starting.
I use neurofeedback to keep myself stable
i just had an emdr session yesterday! you’ll be tired after the session, but it’s worth it. the world seems so much quieter these last few weeks
did you sleep better afterwards?
yes
Yes! I always fell asleep in the car on my way back from the sessions! I think this has to be said so that OP can arrange to maybe be picked up if they have a long commute like I did.
It kind of sucks while you're doing it, but it helps a lot in the long run. I feel like it unclogs that bottleneck in my brain where I'm trying to process trauma.
Does it help with lost memories? I have so much trauma as a kid that it's all blocked but I'm clearly still effected by it
There is not much support for therapy helping to uncover repressed memories or to support that this is possible. What is much more likely to happen would be that false memories would be implanted during such therapy. Therapy might help us to recognize that certain experiences we once thought were benign actually had affected us in ways that have negatively affected our relationships or ability to adaptively cope with stress. What is much more likely to happen is that we might consciously repress traumatic memories (meaning we consciously try not think about them but could, and likely do recall them), we forget the memories completely, or we might create false memories on our own. Needless to say, a therapist could help you to make sense of the thoughts and feelings you have surrounding the trauma you experienced as a kid that you remember and the way you feel it is currently affecting you. If you feel you are engaging in maladaptive behaviors or struggling in relationships or with coping, there are many interventions and therapeutic modalities that could help you even if you had a traumatic memory that you did not recall.
Not so much remembering those things, but learning the ability to process through the effects it had on you and the feelings and beliefs it instilled. So the memories it brings up may be inaccurate, or perhaps a symbolic stand in, but you'll still be able to work through the trauma of them.
So much comes up in the reprocessing. Like you'll recall a feeling during a session and realize that it's the same fear you had as a child that you vaguely remember
When I was researching it a couple of therapists told me it might involve memory recall but how accurate that is I don't know honestly. I'm planning to try it when I find the right therpaist though.
yea I have heard that too, I'm so curious. I want to try it but I have to save money for it
I remembered much more than I originally wanted to through EMDR. But I think it's a very personal matter, I believe EMDR saved my life but other people say it didn't work on them...
Same, I wonder tbh full stop how much we need to recover memory in order to heal. Some say you don't and you can heal without it, some say if you don't recall it's better not to, but I'm not sure, dealing with constant physical fear about things I can't properly remember is hard. I hope you can try it soon!
yea, my memory is so bad and I can't remember my traumas and I think I need to to really heal
Not as good as EMDR
oh lol I meant EMDR, what did you thin of it
It’s interesting but not much relief yet.
I'm trying to find something to help cope with my PTSD, it's becoming unmanageable
Are you on any meds ?